How urban areas of Cheltenham benefit from 'pocket parks'

Three areas of Cheltenham which lack the greenery associated with other areas of the town have been given thousands of pounds to create ‘pocket parks’.

The government has given £38,000, part of a £1.5 million national fund to create the oases of green in The Moors area, Tewkesbury Road and the lower High Street.

The parks will be created by the Cheltenham West End Partnership. Bernice Thompson from the partnership said the money would be used to create the mini-parks which might be as small as a tennis court and added: “There are trees everywhere in Cheltenham but these three areas don’t have any green at all.”

As well as a park in the Moors, on Tewkesbury Road, a historic walled garden on Tewkesbury Road will be turned into a wild play area using logs and natural features.

A stretch of the lower High Street will be planted and also have benches installed for people to rest and enjoy.

The government’s Communities Secretary, Greg Clark, said: “Parks and green spaces provide valuable space for communities to socialise, relax, take part in exercise and for children to play.

“Our funding will benefit urban areas with few green spaces, delivering on the Government’s manifesto commitment to deliver pocket parks across our country.

“The successful bids in Cheltenham all have a strong community heart at the core of their ideas and they thought up creative ways to involve everyone in the area to turn unloved spaces into green lungs for their communities.”